Is the Sierra Zip woodburning stove permitted up high where campfires are prohibited? One could argue that it uses much less wood than a campfire and doesn't leave a mark so it might be permitted. OTOH it does burn some wood.

I've actually wondered about this same thing, as I use a zip stove. What I have done on days that I knew I was going to be camping near or above the timberline, I would just gather a small zip-lock bag full of twigs and small chunks of wood when I'd stop for a break in a wooded area at some point during the day. That way I could still cook my dinner, but it wasn't depleting what little wood there was in those areas. It doesn't take much wood at all to boil some water in a zip stove for dinner, a cup of tea, and to wash up with.

George, could you shed some light on this? When I've camped at a place like Dusy Basin, for example ...there are posted signs for no cooking fires, but I assumed it was because there was so little wood, if it was burned there will be none left. If I carry my own wood for my zip stove, is this illegal in these areas?

That is good to get a definite answer on that. I too use and am very fond of my zip stove. I've done that (carry twigs from campfire permitted areas to high altitude), and even thought about carrying the ashes out, too. But you end up with such a small amount of ashes that it just didn't seem necessary.

Jon

"When one tugs on a single thing in nature, he finds it's attached to the rest of the world". - John Muir